Why it works: Pepper and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 26,984 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Baked Herrings
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the herring
Remove the heads from the herrings and split them open.
Take out the backbones and season the inside with salt and pepper.
Dip the herrings in milk and dredge with Scotch oatmeal.
Melt some fat and brush it over the prepared herrings.
Bake and serve
Place the herrings side by side in a paper bag and fasten the end.
Cook on a wire grid in a hot oven (400°F/200°C) for about 10 minutes.
Dish up and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Pepper + milktop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Herrings
- Provide the fish that is cooked whole-split, staying moist inside while the coating crisps.
- Scotch oatmeal
- Forms a dry, crisp coating that browns in the hot oven.
- Milk
- Helps the oatmeal coating stick to the fish surface.
- Fat
- Carries heat to the surface and promotes browning and crispness of the coating.
The step that matters
Place the herrings side by side in a paper bag and fasten the end.. Sealing the fish in a paper bag traps steam and moisture, so the flesh cooks gently while the coating stays in contact with the heat. Fish that is packed loosely or left open can dry out or cook unevenly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More baked herring recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.